It's elimination night on the singing competition series - which means this week's contestant with the lowest votes will be sent home. That process, in theory, could take two minutes, but that's not how "Idol" rolls: they'll pad it into an hour of live TV, with interviews, video segments, group performances and special guest appearances.

Be sure to check this page often and follow us on Twitter at @TNMusicNews. Hit your refresh button regularly and chime in via the comments section below. Best of luck, Ben!

6:53 p.m. - The video up top is Ben Briley's performance from Wednesday night's episode of "Idol." Contestants were asked to perform a song that best encapsulated "home." Briley chose David Nail's "Turning Home."

On last night's episode of "Idol," the reality show's judges were tasked with selecting 15 female finalists and 15 male finalists. But when it came to the No. 15 male spot, they said they couldn't decide between Briley or 22-year-old Neco Starr of Georgia.

For the first time, the show is giving viewers the chance to vote for either Briley or Starr to make it into the Top 30. Voting will close at noon central time today (Fri., Feb. 14).

UPDATE: Voting by text has closed, but you can still vote at AmericanIdol.com or via the American Idol app.

Fans will learn Briley's fate when "Idol" returns for a three-night run next week. It airs Tue.-Thu. at 7 p.m. central on Fox.

Scotty McCreery and Eric Paslay are both up-and-coming country singers signed with Universal Music Group Nashville. Paslay just landed his first No. 1 song “Friday Night” and released his self-titled debut album this month. McCreery’s current single “See You Tonight” from his current album of the same title is poised to be his first Top 10 hit. The men — one an “American Idol” winner and the other a successful songwriter — want the same thing, to finally break through. But their paths to stardom couldn’t be more different. Continue reading →

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) - A former American Idol is lending his name to one of the many charities that have sprung up following the December 2012 shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Country singer Scotty McCreery, who won the TV talent contest in 2011, has been named "Goodwill Ambassador" for the 12.14 Foundation, which is raising money to build a performing arts center in the town.

McCreery, who visited Newtown this past December, a year after the shooting, says he believes in the power of the arts as a positive force and wanted to find a charity that would be in Newtown for the long term.

"I think this will be something the town can use for years and years to come to help heal," he said.

Former "American Idol" contestant Paul McDonald rehearses with bandmate Jonathan Pears at the home of Pears in East Nashville in Nashville on Wednesday Jan 8, 2014. (photo: Karen Kraft/The Tennessean)

It may not draw as many viewers as it used to, but make no mistake: “American Idol” still has the power to turn an unknown into a global superstar.

If you need a reminder, Music City is the first place to look.

The two biggest successes in Fox’s televised singing competition — which returned for a 13th season last week — call the Nashville area home. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood were champions in the show’s first and fourth seasons, respectively, and they have sold millions of albums and packed arenas ever since.

But those are just two “Idol” stories. Nashville has dozens.

Over the past 12 years, contestants have finished their runs on the show (and the subsequent arena tour) and settled in Nashville, where they try to build careers on the most intense and memorable months of their lives. Most of them will never reach the same heights of fame and ubiquity again.

“They kind of just shove you in there,” says part-time Nashvillian Paul McDonald, who finished in eighth place on “Idol” in 2011. “And then when it all ends, you go, ‘Whoa, that was awesome. Now, how do I do that again?’ ”

Kellie Pickler poses backstage at the American Country Awards at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nev. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Country singer and “Dancing With the Stars” champion Kellie Pickler will perform at Nashville Ballet’s Ballet Ball on March 8. The event is the ballet’s largest annual fundraising event and will combine Pickler’s music with original dances choreographed for her songs.

“I am so honored Nashville Ballet chose me to perform as part of their Ballet Ball this year,” Pickler said in a prepared statement. “My passion is music, but last year I discovered how much I love to dance, so to have Nashville Ballet dance to two of my songs is really exciting for me. I cannot wait to see how they choreograph their dances for the Ball.”

Nashville Ballet artistic director and CEO Paul Vasterling choreographed two dances, which will be performed by Nashville Ballet Company dancers as Pickler sings live.

“We are committed to working with talented artists from the Nashville community throughout our entire season,” Vasterling said in a prepared statement. “And Kellie’s newly discovered passion for our art form is an inspiration to us all. She exemplifies our mission of cultivating arts enthusiasts throughout Middle Tennessee and we are thrilled to welcome Kellie to the Nashville Ballet family.”

Tickets for the main ball are invitation only, but tickets are available to the Ballet Ball’s Late Party featuring cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a seat at the performance. Late Party tickets are $125 per person and go on sale to the public today at www.bblateparty.com.

Keith Urban spent the last few days of 2013 taping “American Idol’s” Hollywood Week. A schedule that includes working over the holidays is just another indicator of the type of work year Urban enjoyed in 2013.

The last 12 months saw him make his debut as a judge on “American Idol” and sign back on for another season. He released his seventh studio album “Fuse,” which broke records when it simultaneously topped the all-genre charts in the U.S., Australia and Canada – the first time the feat has been accomplished by a male country singer. So far, the album has produced his 15th and 16th No. 1 songs “A Little Bit of Everything” and “We Were Us.”

In addition, Urban played on stage with The Rolling Stones, dueted with Aerosmith’sSteven Tyler in a Nashville bar, launched his Light the Fuse Tour, earned a Grammy nomination for his part in the hit “Highway Don’t Care,” and his benefit concert All 4 the Hall raised enough money this spring to put him over the $2 million mark for monies donated to The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

“I say a huge thank you to everybody who has been a part of our year,” Urban said in a video posted on YouTube. “We’ve had an insane 2013 and I can’t wait for 2014. It’s going to be a blast.”

Season eight “American Idol” finalist Scott MacIntyre is celebrating the holidays this year with a new Christmas album.

“Christmas in Paris” is the blind singer/piano player’s first full-length Christmas project and contains standard holiday songs including “We Three Kings,” “Let It Snow” and “Do You Hear What I Hear?” In addition, MacIntyre included two new songs, “Christmas Angel” and the title track.

MacIntyre, who moved to Nashville with his wife in early 2013, said he chose which Christmas songs to include based on which tunes he could “play around with the most.” As for the originals, he was just immediately captivated by the title “Christmas in Paris.”

“I immediately started to dream up all these things the song could be,” said MacIntyre, a co-writer on the song. “I just got this feeling that we could do something different, kind of extraordinary in a way. We ended up trying to capture the magic of Paris at Christmastime. It’s a very romantic Christmas song. I’ve always had a romantic side that comes out at Christmastime, so I always try to give people a little glimpse into my thought process there.”